MIAMI (WSVN) - As students in Miami-Dade County prepare to head back to class, the county’s school superintendent shared his vision for the upcoming year.
Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho delivered his 2018-19 opening of schools address at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House in Miami, Tuesday.
“For us, the reopening of our school system is like the reawakening of the sleeping giant called Miami-Dade County Public Schools from its summer nap,” he said.
In a speech preceded by choir, dance and school band performances, Carvalho touted upcoming programs.
“Parents ought to brace themselves, number one, for a great deal of innovation: new school programs, anything from virtual reality to robotics to performing arts,” he said.
In a system comprised of 392 schools and more than 40,000 employees, Carvalho encouraged educators to create an environment of compassion and caring in the classroom.
“I spoke to our leaders and our teachers about taking the time and the care to identify the neediest kids, the most fragile kids in our community,” he said. “Reach out to them, touch them, embrace them, educate them, take them from their place of darkness into their place of light.”
The superintendent said students and teachers are not the only ones who have to be ready.
“What I want to tell parents is, be there at school early in the morning with your kid,” he said.
Carvalho also calmed parents’ first day jitters. After the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, he said security is a top priority.
“A great deal of additional security features, whether they are physical improvements or the presence of reassuring police officers designated into every single school in partnership with the county and various cities,” he said.
Classes in Miami-Dade County begin next Monday.
This year, all schools will offer free breakfast to every student.
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